Eight-Year-Old Suspended For Sharpie Abuse

Eathan Harris originally got three days for sniffing a Sharpie. It was reduced to one when cooler heads prevailed. He colored a small part of his sweatshirt and was sent to the principal’s office when a teacher noticed him smelling his sleeve. Harris Park, Colorado elementary school principal Chris Benisch stands by his decision saying it sends a clear message about substance abuse and, “This is really, really seriously dangerous.” He also says that smelling the fumes could cause the boy to become intoxicated. This is contradicted by Dr. Eric Lavonas, a toxicologist with the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center, who says,”I don’t know whether it would be possible for a real overachiever to figure out a way to get high off them, but in regular use, it’s just not something that’s going to happen. If you went to Costco and bought 50 bags of Sharpies and did something to them, maybe there’s a way to get creative and make it happen.”